


The Sauce Packet Incident

by DabblesinDrabbles



Category: Les Misérables (2012), Les Misérables - All Media Types, Les Misérables - Schönberg/Boublil, Les Misérables - Victor Hugo
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 02:45:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4943695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DabblesinDrabbles/pseuds/DabblesinDrabbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It starts the way most things in their apartment seem to, with Courfeyrac and his “brilliant plan.” Combeferre will later, much much later, say he tried to talk them out of it but when Courfeyrac and Grantaire get an idea into their heads there is no stopping them until they see it realized. This is the story of how Enjolras was almost driven crazy by Taco Bell sauce packets and how they may have just made him fall in love instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Sauce Packet Incident

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Les Mis fic! I don't know what really inspired this except I was eating Taco Bell, noticed my sauce packet had a cheesy pickup line, and immediately ran the idea to my sister Hailey who encouraged me to write it up. I'm still new to actually posting my writing so comments, advice, and criticism is greatly appreciated!
> 
> Warning: very cheesy (sorry for the pun)

      It starts the way most things in their apartment seem to, with Courfeyrac and his “brilliant plan.” Combeferre will later, much much later, say he tried to talk them out of it but when Courfeyrac and Grantaire get an idea into their heads there is no stopping them until they see it realized. This is the story of how Enjolras was almost driven crazy by Taco Bell sauce packets and how they may have just made him fall in love instead.

     If you had told Enjolras and Grantaire at the first meeting of Les Amis that they would eventually live peacefully together in an apartment for two years they would have had Joly check you for a severe head injury. Grantaire’s cynicism and biting sarcasm mixed with Enjolras’ unyielding search for justice made their first few meetings a powder keg but somehow their animosity grew to begrudging mutual respect, to friendship, and now to a strange form of kinship that neither of them want to try and explain. That’s how they ended up sharing an apartment, the artist and the activist living together in a strange form of chaotic harmony that is until the morning of the first “Sauce Packet Incident” as Jehan so dramatically calls it.

      Enjolras is not a morning person; no matter how many times Grantaire makes his never funny at all Apollo jokes. He’s going through his morning ritual, dragging himself from bed grumbling, avoiding tripping over Grantaire’s easel on the way to the kitchen to make his coffee when he sees it. There sitting in his mug, a birthday gift from Les Amis with a large painting of King Louis XV1 on it because they think they are hilarious, is a red Taco Bell sauce packet. Enjolras stares at the little red intruder, blinking owlishly wondering if maybe he’s imaging it “Good morning sunshine”, he jumps as Grantaire slips into the kitchen behind him, “Grumpy Cat got your tongue Apollo?” He turns to see Grantaire smirking like the cat that got the canary, the normal banter making him forget about his coffee cup intruder for the moment, “No R, and I told you stop calling me Apollo!” Grantaire only laughs and reaches up to ruffle his hair with a wink before leaving the kitchen with a glass of orange juice, “sure whatever you want mon capitaine” he calls over his shoulder with a fake salute. Enjolras smothers a grin as he turns back to his coffee mug, squinting at the writing on the sauce packet “ _Hey hot stuff”_ he snorts before shoving it in his pocket absentmindedly, his focus back on to all the homework for his speech class from last night.

       If you asked Enjolras he’d say he has a very active social life thank you very much from his internship in Senator Lamarque’s office, to the PoliSci tutoring he earned money from, and of course his Les Amis de l’ABC he is a very busy man. That’s his excuse for keeping the mystery sauce packet in his pocket for the rest of the day instead of throwing it away, and his reason for leaving it in his dresser afterwards, not curiosity just being too busy to bother with throwing it away. When it happens again a week later, this time it’s a red sauce packet on his pillow that reads _“Is it me or is it hot in here”_ Enjolras is tempted to demand an explanation from Grantaire (he knows it has to be related to him somehow, everything strange always is) but instead for some reason even he cant explain he decides to wait and see where this frankly weird prank goes. The sauce packet collection begins to grow, he has some with the lamest puns like _“Live life one sauce packet at a time”_ and the most cringe worthy pick-up lines that even Marius wouldn’t use like _“Nice palm. I read a great deal of pleasure in your future”_ but still no explanation, he had even asked Combeferre who usually helps clue Enjolras in but he had only pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked until Enjolras had huffed and dropped the subject.

          If the sauce packets were the only strange thing happening he may have let it go but it seemed to Enjolras that suddenly all of Les Amis knew something he didn’t. During meetings when he would try and discuss the month’s protest plans he would hear murmuring from the back few tables where he knew Grantaire usually sits but instead of taking the bait and starting an argument when Enjolras would shoot a glare over to the table the curly haired artist would simply smile, raise an apologetic hand and stop talking. It was unnerving this sudden change in their dynamic but when he had tried to ask the others why Grantaire wasn’t rising to the challenge anymore they all would say that maybe he was just tired. He had even gone so far as to ask Éponine who frankly scared him sometimes only to be met with a roll of her eyes and a “Really E? Are you that blind?” Grantaire at home had changed too, he had started keeping his art supplies somewhat tidy in the living room, he was trying to get sober and succeeding, all things that Enjolras was proud of but he still felt like something was off. He also had the feeling that it was all somehow connected to the sauce packets that kept showing up all over the apartment.

       He expected the mystery of the sauce packets and Grantaire’s personality changes to stop bothering him, he had been chosen as the only intern to go with Senator Lamarque for a week long diplomatic trip but even while he was away from his apartment and his friends those damn sauce packets still invaded his thoughts. The week with Lamarque was successful and a great experience but when he finally gets back to the apartment all Enjolras wants to do is collapse into his bed and sleep for a week. When he opens the door however all of the lights in the living room are off, something that is rare since Grantaire is usually awake and painting well into the night, whenever he flicks on the light switch he is greeted by an even stranger sight. All over the floor are the red Taco Bell sauce packets, all of them with different sayings, all of them taunting Enjolras with whatever secret knowledge they have. Later, Enjolras will claim it was lack of sleep that causes his momentary insanity but he drops his bags right in the doorway and yells “R, what the fuck is going on?!”

       His question is only greeted by silence at first, he begins to pull his phone out of his pocket to call Grantaire and see where the hell he is when he hears the sound of Grantaire’s bedroom door creaking open. The artist hesitantly steps into the room sheepishly running a hand through his bed head curls, something Enjolras had he not been seething with anger and confusion would have found endearing, “uhhh hey Apollo, how was your trip?” he smiles faintly but the smile disappears the longer Enjolras just stands there staring at him. Neither man moves for a moment, Enjolras breaks the silence by closing the front door and moving closer into the room his eyes never leaving Grantaire’s expecting him to speak. “R,” he says trying to keep his voice controlled, “I need you to tell me what the hell has been going on with us for the past few months and why the hell are there so many sauce packets everywhere?” Grantaire shifts nervously, his bare feet digging into the carpet as if trying to ground himself before looking up at Enjolras through his bangs, “Apollo…. Enjolras. Just read some of the packets okay? I think they can say it better than I can” and with that he turns on his heel and retreats back into his bedroom leaving a very confused and silent Enjolras in the living room.

            Enjolras starts with the sauce packets closest to the door and after the first few he realizes that these are very different messages than the others he has collected. The little red messengers are surprisingly sincere, most of them reading _“Hello” “I'm in good hands now” “I've been through fire for you” “Make a wish” “Promise you'll text me in the morning”_ and the he finds back in his mug, where the one that started it all simply read _“I love you.”_ He stands there, sauce packet in hand dumbstruck and running through what all of this means. As it dawns on him, Grantaire is in love with him, a smile begins to grow and grows until it becomes a rush of laughter. He searches on the floor of their living room trying to find the perfect way to respond when he spots it, sitting under the couch almost hidden from view.

          He knocks briskly on Grantaire’s door, steadying himself and gripping his responding packet in his hand a part of his brain still worried that he may have somehow still misread this. Grantaire pulls open the door, staring down at his and Enjolras’ feet, “Look I know it was a dumb idea I mean it was Courf’s idea first so… ‘jolras if you want we can pretend it was all a joke, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.” When Enjolras doesn’t answer he looks up, expecting to see disgust or worse pity in those steely blue eyes but instead he sees Enjolras’ smile and a red sauce packet in his outstretched hand that reads, “ _The feeling is mutual.”_ Later, after a lot of kissing, talking, and texting all of their friends as they are cuddling on their couch still surrounded by a sea of hot sauce packets Enjolras looks up at Grantaire from where his head is in his lap and says “You know R as original as this idea was I don’t even like Taco Bell. Chipotle is a much more sustainable and environmentally conscious company, we should actually..” for once he doesn’t mind Grantaire shutting him up, in fact if his lips are the way he is going to silence him from now on Enjolras could get used to it.

 

**Epilogue:**

            A few years later Enjolras has his hands wrapped around a sauce packet inside the pocket of his coat as he hurries to meet the rest of Les Amis at Grantaire’s art gallery opening. He had enlisted all of his friends, even Marius who he swore to secrecy under the threat of showing Cosette all of Marius’ awkward middle school pictures, to help him find this particular sauce packet. They searched every Taco Bell in the city until finally Gavroche and Éponine found it, she swears no threatening was involved, nestled inside his hand is a red packet which simply reads _“Will you marry me?”_


End file.
